Both Chatham and Lee leaders have said they plan to fight the company's proposal, with Lee County Manager John Crumpton not ruling out legal action in the process.

Chatham County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jim Crawford said the two counties south of the Triangle are "being asked to assume a disproportionate risk in this current plan."

"The N.C. General Assembly, in its haste to prod Duke Energy to action, effectively stripped local authorities of any power to safeguard the health of our citizens," said Crawford. "Neither can we collect fees to offset costs imposed on local governments. This is politically and economically unfair."